


The Magic of Snow

by IcyPanther



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Fluff, Gen, Hunk & Lance (Voltron) Friendship, Hurt/Comfort, Lance (Voltron) Angst, Lance (Voltron) Whump, Sledding, Winter
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-20
Updated: 2020-12-20
Packaged: 2021-03-10 16:41:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,937
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28200309
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IcyPanther/pseuds/IcyPanther
Summary: Team Voltron takes a leisure day on a snowy planet where Lance finally gets to participate in the one winter activity he’s always dreamed of: sledding. It’s an afternoon of racing and laughter and fun with his friends.Until it isn’t.
Relationships: Hunk & Lance (Voltron), Lance (Voltron) & Everyone
Comments: 40
Kudos: 228





	The Magic of Snow

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Run Im A Natural Disaster (Darkness34)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Darkness34/gifts).



> **Timeline notes:** mid-season two  
>  **Warning notes:** none  
>  **Other notes:** Written for a Secret Santa event I hosted for my Secret Santa for the prompt of "sledding!"

Lance had seen snow before.

Sort of.

Cuba didn’t have snow (and if it did then the world was probably over) and neither did where he now lived in Arizona. 

But he’d seen it in pictures; beautiful, endless white landscapes of it, glistening and shimmering in the sun, falling slow and soft against an evening sky and he’d always thought it looked so magical.

He could now safely say, in person, it was even moreso. 

But even more magical than scenic landscapes was what one could _do_ with snow.

And today, on this snow-covered, hilly planet, Lance was finally getting the chance to do something he’d dreamed of doing (and moreso than setting up in the laundry basket and going down the stairs until Mamá caught him and Rachel and scolded them that they could have gotten hurt) since he’d first heard of it.

_Sledding._

It combined snow and speed and racing and friends and excitement all in one go and Lance could not _wait._

He bounced on his heels, feet sinking into the snow, with a large, blue circular saucer sled in hand, as Shiro went over — again, but Lance understood, safety first, although what danger exactly they’d get into here compared to fighting in combat he didn’t quite know — the rules for the sledding hill they’d all trekked up to.

It was a large one, taking nearly four minutes to climb and not helped by the fact the snow — about a foot high — was loose and needed tamped down — and Lance’s calves already hurt from the exertion, but he knew it would be worth it. There were smaller hills on the planet, but they were what Pidge had scoffed at and called “bunny hills” so the big one it was.

“Three maximum on the hill at a time,” Shiro said, “and no one goes until everyone at the bottom has fully cleared to the side. Left side of the hill is for walking back up and _no_ aiming your sled at anyone doing so.”

“Spoilsport,” Pidge grumped but her eyes were still twinkling and cheeks red from both the hike and the cold and she didn’t really look put out about it. 

“No pushing unless you ask someone to do so,” Shiro continued, “and only one person per saucer sled. Two people _can_ go on the larger sleds,” he nodded at the rectangular one he had propped in the snow next to him, “but no more than that. Any questions?”

“Can we go now?” Pidge asked.

Shiro chuckled and swept his arm. “Ladies first.”

Pidge surged to the front while Allura more sedately followed.

“Shall we race?” Allura inquired pleasantly as she settled herself onto her own saucer — a bright pink one that she’d accepted wistfully from Coran as he pulled sled after sled out of a storage closet in the castle and Lance had learned apparently Alteans loved sledding although they called it sloping — but there was a glimmer of mischief and excitement in Allura’s eyes that Lance wasn’t sure he’d ever seen before.

Pidge let out a laugh. “Oh, you’re on, princess.”

“Allrighty then,” Coran grinned, stepping in between the two. “On your mark… get set… slope!”

“Sled!” Pidge hollered even as she shoved off with a spray of snow.

Lance watched as they raced down the hill — and _Dios,_ they were going _really_ fast — Allura letting out a yell of surprise as her sled turned around and she was going _backwards_ and Pidge let out something that sounded like “Ha!”

Next to him Hunk audibly gulped.

Hunk had gone sledding before when his family had gone on vacation to colder climates, but he’d told Lance it wasn’t his favorite activity as speed, bumps, and drops didn’t tend to agree with Hunk’s stomach. But he’d, he’d try today. 

“How about we go together?” Lance suggested softly, putting down his saucer sled and forgoing his own desire for a race for the moment. “Those long sleds don’t turn around, right?” as he’d gotten the pros and cons of each sled courtesy of Pidge.

“R-right,” Hunk nodded, untensing ever so and he turned to look at Lance. “Thanks, _hermano._ I, I know you want to go fast and—”

“Hey,” Lance interrupted him. “I want the whole sledding experience. And besides, who says we still can’t go fast?”

Hunk let out a small whimper. 

“How about,” Shiro sounded, “we all go down together? Keith’s never been sledding before either—”

“Shiro!” Keith yelped, a flush covering his cheeks although as far as Lance knew Keith had lived his whole life in Arizona so he shouldn’t be embarrassed by that. Lance knew he wasn’t, even if he was sad he’d never had the chance to sled before or have a snowball fight or build snowmen. But all of that was changing today and 

“—and I can say it has definitely been a while for me,” Shiro continued smoothly. “And,” his lips pulled into a grin, “we can even turn it into a race.”

“Heck yeah!” Lance grinned back. “You’re on! Come on, Hunk, let’s show them how it’s done.”

“Or how much I can puke,” Hunk muttered but he gave Lance’s shoulder a squeeze and as his eyes met Lance’s they were steady.

A minute later — after Pidge and Allura (the princess the winner by it seemed a hair) had crossed to the side of the hill and out of the way and were making their way back up — Lance was situated in the front of the sled, a rope that really didn’t do too much in terms of navigating in his hands, Hunk squished behind him and his legs alongside Lance’s and his arms wrapped almost painfully around Lance’s middle although the large puffer coats Coran had found for them provided padding to the squeeze , Keith and Shiro a few feet away from them.

“Ready?” Coran cheered.

Lance caught Keith’s eye across the way and smirked.

They were going down. 

“Get set…” Coran called, stepping behind Hunk and Lance’s to give them a push while Shiro had said he would propel his and Keith’s sled. “Slope!”

Lance let out a yell as their sled was shoved forward, a burst of cold air striking his face and his stomach leaping into his throat.

_Yes._

He let out a whoop and leaned forward into it, peripherally aware of Keith doing the same.

His teeth chattered in his mouth at the speed and the wind, as the sled found bumps beneath the snow, and Hunk screamed in his ear but it sounded less terrified and more excited and it made Lance shout louder.

They hit the base of the hill dead even to Keith and Shiro — Lance was pleased with a tie for his first sledding experience ever — momentum sending them further and further away from the hill in a slowing coast, he and Hunk coming to a stop a few few before Keith and Shiro’s sled.

Lance’s heart was still beating doubletime from the speed and the adrenaline and he sat back with a satisfied sigh before he tipped his head backwards, making out Hunk from upside down, who met his gaze with a smile and all earlier fear gone.

It made Lance smile wider. 

He wanted to have fun but part of the joy of sledding was sharing it with others, and if Hunk hadn’t enjoyed it then it wasn’t all he wanted it to be.

“Again?” Lance asked.

“Again,” Hunk agreed.

And they did.

Again and again and again.

Lance rode with Pidge to race Hunk and Keith and then — blushing — with Allura, her hair tickling his nose, as they raced against Coran and Pidge. He tried out the saucer — both racing against others and in trying to make a chain while holding hands with Hunk and Pidge and sometimes being pushed off backwards or spinning — and they went down the hillside and sculpted out bumps to send them into the air. 

He wasn’t sure he’d ever laughed this much in his life.

His lungs and mouth ached from the force of it, his legs were starting to wobble a bit more as he made his way up the hill now, and Shiro had called out a last run warning that they’d be packing up and heading back to the castle for hot chocolate and cookies, an apparent Holt family tradition after sledding and one Lance was all for partaking in.

Just…

Not yet. 

Because he and Keith were tied two and two in their races and they needed to determine a winner. 

One last race to decide it all.

He couldn't _wait_ to beat Keith and it would be the cherry on top of this already awesome day.

“Ready to lose, mullet?” Lance grinned, sliding his sled back and forth on the edge as he waited for Coran, Pidge and Allura to clear away from the base where they’d had a three-way race (Allura once more the winner and Lance hadn’t been upset at all when he lost to her in their two head to heads).

“Are you?” Keith shot back.

“Okay, okay,” Shiro stepped between them. “Both of you get ready… get set…”

He paused.

His lips twitched.

“Shiro!” Lance moaned at the same time Keith barked out his name.

Shiro laughed and brought both of his arms down. “Slope!”

Lance pushed off with a shout, leaning over, hands braced on the edges of his sled, and steering as best as he could for one of the snow bumps.

He’d picked the left side of the hill specifically to race Keith this last one — although honestly, L for Lance, L for left, it just made sense — because he knew (mostly) where the divots in the snow were from their foray down the hill all afternoon, the best angle (if he could direct the sled) to hit the bump and then, hopefully, cruise into the center of the hill where the snow was the tightest packed down and made for the smoothest finish (a point they’d all found out and why for two on two races no one could go down the center of the hill).

The wind stung his eyes and made them water as he refused to blink, to lose sight of his target — white on white hard to make out at this speed— aware of Keith in his peripheral even with him.

It would come down to the speed bumps, each of them having their own on their side of the hill.

And…

Go!

Lance hit it dead on, sled taking off into the air.

He let out a loud yell.

It had been _perfect._

He was going to _win._

His sled came back down, impacted the hill.

And Lance’s victory shout turned into a shout of alarm as the snow he’d landed in wasn’t packed down, wasn’t firm, and the front lip of his sled dug into it.

And he was _catapulted_ out of the sled, _smashing_ into the ground and tumbling head over heel down the hill.

He felt something _snap_ in his right arm, burning hot fire to the coldness of the snow, and he _screamed,_ the sound lost as snow filled his mouth and nose. Something else — his sled, it had to be his sled — _crashed_ into the back of his head and Lance let out another muffled scream. 

He didn’t know how long he rolled and fell for until he came to an ungraceful stop, sprawled on his stomach, ears ringing, pulse pounding and vision going in and out.

His arm continued to burn and Lance swallowed heavily, tasting bile.

No, no puking. 

He squeezed his eyes shut as though that would help keep it inside. 

Around the throbbing of his pulse he could hear calls of his name from both above and below. A moment later a hand — both firm and gentle — landed on his shoulder and another one gently patted his cheek. 

“Lance, lad,” Coran sounded. “Can you hear me?”

Lance moaned in place of an answer. 

He pried his eyes open though, a blur of orange greeting him, before he squeezed them shut again, nausea building.

“Lance!” Hunk was there then, a soft _thump_ indicating he’d fallen into the snow next to Lance. “Is, is he—?” his voice wavered.

“He took a pretty nasty hit,” Coran murmured, his hand sliding away from Lance’s cheek and seeking out the back of his head, his hat long since lost, and Lance couldn’t hold in the whimper as fingers brushed against a hot pulse of pain and Coran let out a soft apology, hands trailing down to Lance’s neck and then sliding down the back of his jacket and his shirt.

Lance jolted as Coran’s hands were _cold._

“Easy, easy,” Coran murmured, trailing cold hands down Lance’s spine. “You’re all right, lad. Just hold still now.”

Lance was faintly aware of the crunch of snow as the others gathered around, worry and fear in their voices instead of the cheer and excitement of earlier.

He whimpered again that had nothing to do with Coran’s cold hands.

He’d ruined sledding. 

“‘m,” he choked it out, “‘m sorry.”

“Oh, Lance, no,” Hunk whispered. “This, this was an accident.”

Lance knew it was.

That didn’t make him feel any better.

“He’s safe to move,” Coran said, his hands leaving and smoothing Lance’s jacket back down. “But I do think a pod would be best. He has a head injury for sure and no doubt some other bumps from that tumble. Number One, if you could assist me…”

More hands landed on Lance and even with his eyes closed the world spun alarmingly as he was pulled out of the snow.

His broken arm, trapped beneath him, gave a new burst of pain and he heard Hunk make a choking noise and Pidge’s quiet, “holy shit.”

“Perhaps a bit more than some bumps,” Coran amended. “But nothing that a pod cannot fix. Don’t you worry, my boy,” and a hand gently squeezed his shoulder. “You’ll be feeling better soon.”

xxx

Lance didn’t remember passing out, but he must have because when he awoke he was not only in the castle but in a white cryo-suit, in the infirmary, with both a blanket and a pair of arms wrapped tight around him, and no pain to be had. 

He shivered at both the realization he’d been in the pod (and he was glad not to remember that), at the cold, and at the arms around him tightened.

“You okay?” came Hunk’s soft murmur, breath warm on Lance’s ear.

He gave a faint nod against Hunk’s chest. 

“How,” his voice was a rasp and he swallowed, “how long was I…?”

“Only two hours,” Hunk said. “Not even dinner time.”

Lance let out a soft sigh at that.

At least he hadn’t been out of it for too long, which meant the injuries hadn’t been too bad. 

“But speaking of dinner, or, well, food, everyone is waiting for hot chocolate and cookies. If you’re feeling up to it.”

Lance gave a small nod.

Yes.

He’d like that. 

Hunk had brought him a change of clothes and within a few minutes they were both making their way for the kitchen, the blanket still about Lance’s shoulders as the cold always tended to linger from the pods.

The kitchen though was bright and warm, everyone gathered around the kitchen table with plates of cookies they’d made earlier in preparation piled high and glasses for both milk and hot chocolate in front of them. 

“Lance!” Pidge spotted him first. 

“How’re you feeling, buddy?” Shiro asked, pausing in pouring out the pitcher of milk. 

“Okay,” Lance said quietly. “I, um, I’m sorry for ruining the afternoon.”

“You did no such thing,” Coran admonished gently. “We are all just glad you are all right.”

“And the other important thing,” Pidge said, leaning forward, “is that you had fun. Minus the whole wipe out bit, of course.”

“Of course,” Lance echoed, rueful smile taking over his face.

“Did you?” she pressed. 

Lance’s smile became more genuine.

“I did,” he said. “It really was a lot of fun.”

“That’s good to hear,” Keith said, and he sent Lance a small smirk that couldn’t entirely hide the relief and concern in his face, “because we have to finish our race.”

“Lance was technically going to win,” Allura said, straight-faced although the corner of her mouth was twitching.

“Really?” Lance asked.

“We need to finish our race,” Keith repeated, eyes narrowing almost into a glare. 

“But Allura said I won,” Lance teased, feeling the last of the tension slide off his shoulders.

No one was mad.

He hadn’t ruined the day.

“Technically she said technically,” Pidge pointed out.

“Pidgeon!” Lance pressed a hand to his heart and she rolled her eyes. 

“And if we’re speaking of technicalities,” Coran said, “I believe the princess has more wins than the both of you.”

“Coran!”

“Tomorrow,” Shiro interjected. “You all can settle this tomorrow. But I do have one condition.” He reached down, out of sight, and lifted up an object that had been sitting on his chair.

His Paladin armor helmet. 

“Shiro, no,” Pidge moaned.

“You can’t be serious,” Keith protested.

“Safety first,” Shiro smiled, although as he caught Lance’s gaze he shot him a wink and Lance’s grin widened.

Sledding, Lance decided, as he took a seat and snapped up the cookie Pidge had been reaching for, had been a lot of fun.

But this?

This was the real magic of snow: the memories that it made and how it brought everyone together.

And Lance couldn’t wait to see what else was still to come.

**Author's Note:**

> I hosted a Secret Santa event on my other writing platform and I received the prompt of "sledding" featuring Lance for my Secret Santa recipient, Run Im A Natural Disaster. I wasn't entirely sure what direction I wanted to take it, but I figured anyone getting a fic from me would expect at least a little angst and whump in there so I ran with it. Or, rather, sledded with it. (???) I hope you enjoyed it~! ♥ To anyone else reading, I hope you enjoyed it too and if you did it would mean a lot to hear from you in the comments. Thank you ♥
> 
> 💥 **(Like my works? Want to read even MORE? Visit my[Tumblr, icypantherwrites](https://icypantherwrites.tumblr.com) for details.)💥**  
> 


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